Residents fed up with Islington Street bridge closure

PORTSMOUTH — Stephanie Lane and her husband Marc Goulet live at the intersection of Melbourne Street and Rutland Avenue, in what used to be a quiet neighborhood.

Jeff McMenemy

PORTSMOUTH — Stephanie Lane and her husband Marc Goulet live at the intersection of Melbourne Street and Rutland Avenue, in what used to be a quiet neighborhood.

But after state Department of Transportation officials closed the Islington Street bridge in January, truck drivers began trying to negotiate the 90-degree turn at the intersection once they arrived at the bridge and finally realized it was closed, Lane said.

“We had huge trucks hitting the utility pole at the corner of Rutland and Melbourne because they'd go down to try to cross the bridge even though there were signs up, and then have to try to turn here,” Lane said. “It's a sharp right-hand turn and they can't make it so they either end up hitting the pole or running over our lawn.”

She recalled laughing this week how on one occasion she stood “literally four feet from a grill on this giant truck protecting my lawn.” The truck driver eventually inched away with no injury to her lawn or her person, she said.

The couple, along with a number of neighborhood residents, reached out to Assistant Mayor Jim Splaine who went on a recent neighborhood walk with him. Splaine said he's concerned with people driving through the neighborhood while looking at their GPS, which in some cases still apparently directs them to downtown Portsmouth via Islington Street.

“It's a public-safety issue,” Splaine said. “There's a lot of families with children and there's people speeding through there.”

Splaine said neighbors called for an increased police presence and more signage throughout the area, and a visit to the neighborhood on Friday shows city and state officials have responded. There are several signs on Route 33 warning approaching drivers that the Islington Street bridge is closed and others directing them to downtown Portsmouth via Middle Street.

There's also a cluster of several signs right in the middle of the road at the intersection of Islington Street and Route 33. One sign reads “Local Traffic Only,” another states “No Downtown Access” and a third sign warns drivers “Road Closed to Thru Traffic-Local Traffic Only.” Then there's a flashing sign nearby that reminds drivers, “Islington Bridge Closed” and then switches to “Downtown Straight Ahead.”

A little farther down Islington Street there's another large flashing sign that reads “Local Traffic Only” and then switches to “Turn Around – No Trucks.”

The bridge is still in place, but is now partially blocked by construction vehicles. Blocking the bridge was a big help, Lane said.

“People were actually driving around the detour signs and driving across the bridge,” Lane said.

Mayor Robert Lister said he received a number of calls from concerned residents after the bridge was closed. He, along with residents in the neighborhood, have credited the city with dramatically increasing the number of signs and increasing police presence along neighborhood streets, especially Spinney Road, which people have been using to cut between Islington and Middle streets.

Like Splaine, Lister said residents are concerned about more traffic issues during the summer. “That's why we're trying to get it addressed now,” Lister said.

A group of residents, including Margaret O'Rourke and her husband Jay, intend to be at the Parking & Traffic Safety Committee's meeting on Thursday in City Hall. O'Rourke, who lives on Sheffield Road, said neighbors are concerned about people speeding through the neighborhoods.

“Spinney has become the new Islington Street,” O'Rourke said, while stressing city officials have helped. “They have really responded and we're all pretty pleased,” she said.

The state bridge replacement project is expected to take a year to complete, according to the state Department of Transportation web site. The bridge is being replaced out so the state Department of Transportation can continue upgrades on the Route 1 Bypass.

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